The festival drew 30,000 people to Henham Park, near Southwold, in July scooped Best Major Festival at the UK Festival Awards.

The 12th edition of the festival, which as well as being the region’s biggest music festivals as includes a diverse range of arts programming, ranging from theatre to opera, ballet to comedy, was headlined by The 1975, Mumford and Sons and Fleet Foxes.

The UK Festival Awards has been recognising and celebrating the collective accomplishments of the nation’s music festival industry since 2004.

Crowds at Latitude 2017. Photo: Paul John Bayfield

It includes 21 categories in the fields of programming, production, innovation, emerging talent, marketing, hospitality, catering and more.

Voted for by a culmination of a public vote and industry professionals, they are internationally recognised prizes for festival organisers.

Whilst Latitude won the top award of Best Major Festival other winners announced at an awards ceremony in London included Dot to Dot, which won Best Festival for Emerging Talent and Liverpool Music Week for Line-Up of the Year, for its 30-strong bill which included Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Mount Kimbie and Perfume Genius.

Freddie Fellowes, founder of the iconic Secret Garden Party festival, received The Outstanding Contribution to Festivals Award. The festival celebrated its last edition in July, following 15 years of hosting.

Highlights at Latitude included a barnstorming set from The 1975 as a Friday headliner, an exceptional, intimate Willy Mason set in the woods, with Katherine Jenkins crossing the lake on a gondola to open a captivating performance by the water side, while Fatboy Slim delivered a DJ set to remember.

James Skelly, frontman of The Coral, who appeared on the main stage, said it was a “brilliant” festival and “the best one we have done so far”. “It is definitely one of my favourites,” he said.

Blaine Harrison of the Mystery Jets said the band loved the energy at Latitude. “Often when you play quite early at a festival you have to get the crowd going,” he said. “At Latitude there is a wonderful vibrancy to the festival and we didn’t have to work hard at all.”

He added he had come to Henham Park as “a punter” before and watched Latitude grow from a its infancy into “something special”.

The 2018 Latitude Festival will take place from July 12-15. Tickets for the event are already on sale HERE though the line-up has yet to be announced.